A wanted man tried to hand himself in to police FOUR times - but was unable to do so due to court closures by the Ministry of Justice.

The crook had been wanted for failing to attend court after beaching a community order and had attempted to surrender himself to police so his case could be dealt with. He tried twice on April 24 and 25 to hand himself in to West Mercia Police but was told it was not possible as the force had not yet received a warrant notice.

The man then tried to present himself to Telford Magistrates Court on two occasions on April 26 and 30 but was told the court no longer dealt with remand hearings.

Stephen Meredith, of WMB Law, said his client had been prevented in his efforts due to "scandalous" and "unbelievable changes in the way remand cases are now dealt with.

Read more: Andy Murray: Tennis ace celebrates birthday with hilarious snap​

It follows heavy criticism of the MoJ's decision to move all remand hearings from Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire to Kidderminster, Worcs.

And the news comes just days after the force put up a poster at Worcester Police Station advising offenders of the best time to hand themselves in.

Now criminals can only hand themselves in at a certain time of the day to ensure they catch the daily transport from police stations to Kidderminster.

Mr Meredith said when his client was eventually successful he was then held for more than 24 hours in Telford before being taken to Kidderminster - 26 miles away.

He says the situation could now see people who face a summons for driving offences held in cells for up to a day when the offence would not normally result in jail time.

Mr Meredith's client, who breached a community order for criminal damage, had not attended an initial hearing on the matter after not seeing a letter sent out to him.

He said: "Previously he would have gone to court and they would have dealt with him within five to 10 minutes.

"Or if they said it had to be dealt with in the police station he would have been able to walk through the tunnel and it would be dealt with within an hour."

Last week, Shropshire Defence Solicitors' Association wrote an open letter to the Justices of the Peace outlining their concerns over the changes It said a magistrate has said some of his colleagues are refusing to travel to the court, because of the distance.

Stephen Scully, of Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors, in Shrewsbury, said advocates are looking at the legalities of the centralisation and whether it could be challenged.

He added: "The system is in chaos. It is pot luck justice."

A magistrate, who wished to remain anonymous, also called for the controversial arrangements to be scrapped and claimed justice was not being served properly.

He added: "By centralising the hearings in Kidderminster I think justice is not necessarily being dealt with effectively due to the difficulties people have attending elsewhere.

Read more: Motherwell FC fan recorded anthem knocked JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE off iTunes chart

"It is not good for justice and it is not good for people."

Earlier this month a spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service defended the changes.

He said: “Following a public consultation, remand cases were moved from Telford to Kidderminster Magistrates Court to improve listings and trial management at Telford.

“There is no evidence to suggest that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of defendants awaiting an available court, or that cases are not being heard within 24 hours.

"We are investing over £1 billion to reform and modernise the justice system."